Strategy and space save restaurants during pandemic

Rick Harvey/Special to The Weekly Vista
Ashleigh Butler, lead hostess at Bella Vista Country Club's BV Bar & Grill, sanitizes each menu and condiment bottle after use.
Rick Harvey/Special to The Weekly Vista Ashleigh Butler, lead hostess at Bella Vista Country Club's BV Bar & Grill, sanitizes each menu and condiment bottle after use.

Many area restaurants have suffered greatly due to the guidelines put in place because of covid-19. Some, however, have managed to maintain positive momentum during the past 10 months.

Bella Vista is seeing both.

POA-managed Lakepoint Restaurant and the Bella Vista Country Club's BV Bar & Grill are two that are using space to their advantage.

"Thanks to our banquet areas, we have had enough space to spread out tables and keep the same amount of volume," said Tommy Lee, POA director of business development. "In fact, our January numbers at Lakepoint are far exceeding what we expected and the numbers at BV Bar & Grill are right where we expected them to be."

Lee, who oversees the two restaurants, along with a pub and patio at Highlands Golf Course, a pub at Scotsdale Golf course and a snack bar at Dogwood Golf Course, said his team quickly developed a strategy when restrictions started last March.

"Things hit in March, they shuttered everything down, and we quickly transitioned to curbside and delivery," he said.

While Papa Mike's Restaurant and Catering also quickly turned curbside-focused last March, things have been a struggle since the pandemic began.

"It's been terrible, just tough," said Mike Hudgins, who has owned Papa Mike's for more than a decade. "Normally, we could seat 160 people. Now we can seat about 60 people and, if you fill up that 60 once a day now, it's probably a good day.

"People are still not getting out. We did tremendous with curbside the first four months because people really wanted to support area restaurants. It's just nobody thought back in March of last year that we would still be in this."

Papa Mike's, which is located adjacent to the Kingsdale Golf Course Pro Shop, reopened indoor dining about a month into the pandemic, Hudgins said. Usually, open seven days a week, the decision was made recently to close on Mondays, the restaurant's slowest day of the week.

"I've kept all of my employees working, which is good," Hudgins said. "But I can't tell you how much money I've lost in the past months. Many restaurants like us are waiting for the second round of PPP [Small Business Paycheck Protection Program], hoping we get it. Those that don't get it probably won't be around."

The hit his catering business took has been a huge impact, Hudgins said.

"My restaurant is usually carried through November and December from what we do throughout the year in catering and we did absolutely none last year," he said. "A week in March and a week in October are our biggest catering weeks due to golf events and banquets, but the first week of golf last year was the first week of the pandemic.

"The outlook is not good for the catering business."

The POA did have to lay some part-time employees off early on, Lee said, but was able to keep the full-time staff intact to take care of the curbside and delivery orders.

"We had a lot of support early with our curbside and it has stayed strong. It's strong right now, about 10 percent of our business," he said, "and then when we were able to open back up and keep people spaced out while following all the other guidelines."

Strictly following the state-mandated restrictions are why Lee thinks residents have felt so comfortable visiting the POA dining facilities. Employees are frequently wiping down and disinfecting surfaces, and all menus and condiment bottles are sanitized after each use.

"We get a lot of comments from customers who say they are more comfortable coming to restaurants here because we are so adamant about social distancing and wearing masks," Lee said.

Outdoor seating at Lakepoint, BV Bar & Grill and Highlands was also popular during warm-weather months, Lee said.

"We really promoted the patio and terrace at Lakepoint and BV, and we also increased the size of the deck at Highlands," he said. "People like the outdoor seating options."

Lakepoint and the Bella Vista Country Club are popular venues for events such as weddings. While some have taken place with restrictions in recent months, it hasn't been the norm, Lee said.

"We lost some of the activities, but since we do have outdoor venues, we were able to host some," he said. "Of course, we did have to take the number of people attending the events down to a manageable number. We've still been fairly successful with events and already have 20 events scheduled for 2021."

But until guidelines change, restaurants will be limited to 66% capacity, patrons will have to wear a mask until receiving food or beverage and staff is required to be masked at all times.

"The staff has taken a great attitude to everything," Lee said. "Some of them aren't excited about wearing a mask all the time but we do give them the opportunity to get away, take a break and take the mask off.

"We're all just doing what we have to do."

Hudgins with Papa Mike's agrees, and says it's been important for him and his staff to stay positive through it all.

"We don't want to have a bad attitude about any of this," Hudgins said. "We're all doing the best we can, making sure we follow all the guidelines and stay positive.

"This pandemic is real, and we thank people every day we see them."

Rick Harvey/Special to The Weekly Vista
Bar Manager Angie Carlin hands off a drink to a server at BV Bar & Grill. Per guidelines, all staff wear masks at all times and frequently sanitize all surfaces.
Rick Harvey/Special to The Weekly Vista Bar Manager Angie Carlin hands off a drink to a server at BV Bar & Grill. Per guidelines, all staff wear masks at all times and frequently sanitize all surfaces.
Rick Harvey/Special to The Weekly Vista
BV Bar & Grill at Bella Vista Country Club has the space available to spread out tables.
Rick Harvey/Special to The Weekly Vista BV Bar & Grill at Bella Vista Country Club has the space available to spread out tables.